Michigan reinstates Juwan Howard ahead of Big Ten conference tournament

Michigan head coach Juwan Howard is back with his team on Monday following his five-game suspension. Howard held individual meetings with players ahead of the Big Ten conference tournament this week, according to MLive.

The Wolverines head coach had to miss five games and wasn’t able to join his team for practice after his part in a skirmish following the Michigan-Wisconsin game two weeks ago. Phil Martelli served in his place during his suspension, leading the team to three wins and two losses. They closed out the 2021-22 regular season with a 17-13 record – 7th in the conference.

With their skipper back at the helm, the Wolverines are preparing to face No. 9-seed Indiana in Indianapolis on Thursday. Theirs is the first tipoff of the day, starting at 11:30 ET on the Big Ten Network.

Juwan Howard and his squad have the sixth-best odds to win the conference tournament this week, according to VegasInsider odds. They’re +1100, behind Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Howard releases statement following Michigan-Wisconsin fight

Despite initial hesitation to apologize, Juwan Howard took to social media to issue a statement for his actions following the scuffle.

“After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they truly affected so many. I am truly sorry,” Howard said. “I am offering my sincerest apologies to my players and their families, my staff, my family and the Michigan fans around the world. I’d like to personally apologize to Wisconsin’s Assistant Coach Joe Krabbenhoft and his family, too.

“Lastly, I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride, I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student-athletes. I will learn from my mistake and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!”

Michigan athletic director Ward Manuel also released a statement after Howard. He said there is “no room” for those kinds of actions at the University of Michigan and everyone involved will learn from the incident.

“Today’s disciplinary actions underscore the seriousness with which we take the incident that unfolded on Sunday. Simply put, there is no room at U-M for the behavior we saw. We will learn from this incident as a department, work to improve ourselves while operating under a spotlight, and move forward in a positive light.”